One year ago, Hayden Moss entered the Big Brother house for the 12th edition of the hit reality show. Three months later, he walked out of the hamster cage with $500,000 as the season’s winner. With the premiere of Big Brother 13 coming fast, it only seems appropriate to check in with Hayden to see how Big Brother changed his life (video inside the story). In this exclusive interview, which was conducted at a charity event in Louisville, Kentucky, in late June, Hayden reveals what he did with the money, weighs in on how tough the show actually is and explains why he still hasn’t watched his own season. One thing to note regarding Hayden and tonight’s premiere of season 13. It has been heavily reported that duos from previous seasons will re-enter the house to compete with newbies. If you’ve been following online, a CBS.com posting listed Hayden as one of those potential candidates with Enzo. Turns out this was simply a poll for viewers to vote who they think would return to play again. Sorry to burst your bubble, Hayden fans. He’s not expected to be one of the duos back in the game.

Ryan Haidet, RealityTVMagazine: What is it like living in the Big Brother house?

Hayden Moss: It’s not easy. You’re completely cut off from the outside world. No television. No internet. No telephone. Not even a newspaper. So it’s tough, but it’s fun. I had a great time in there, met some cool people and made some nice friends. I’ve got a lot going on since then. It’s opened some doors. It’s been fun.

RealityTVMagazine: And you won $500,000.

Hayden Moss: I did. I can’t complain about that.

RealityTVMagazine: Did you do anything exciting with the dough?

Hayden Moss: I went to the Bahamas. Awesome! … Snowboarded, took a few trips to the mountain in Colorado, but a lot of it I’ve saved. I’m kind of conservative and tried to be smart with it. I didn’t want to spend it all on oxycodine and drugs like what’s his name — Adam. What season was he? 8? 7?

RealityTVMagazine: What is something about the show that fans don’t realize?

Hayden Moss: With Big Brother, the thing is that fans have 24-hour access. So they know what’s going on. Especially the superfans — the ones that watch the feeds for hours and hours. They really kind of understand what we’re going through. I would say it’s a lot harder than it looks. Fans complain that we slept a lot, but it’s like we have nothing to do in there — we can shoot pool, strategize and talk game. Down toward the end, I was physically spent, but mentally I was worn out. It’s just hard and I don’t think fans realize how hard it is to be in the house for three months.

RealityTVMagazine: When you got out of the house, what is the first thing you did?

Hayden Moss: Well, we had a party. They put us up in a hotel there and I went to Universal Studios with the fam.

RealityTVMagazine: Did you go home and watch the episodes immediately or was it just too much to take in right then?

Hayden Moss: I haven’t watched yet.

RealityTVMagazine: You haven’t watched your season at all?

Hayden Moss: No. Not yet. I’ve seen clips. YouTube clips here and there, people will post something on my Facebook or on Twitter. So I’ve seen clips here and there, but I haven’t watched the season from beginning to end. But I will. …

RealityTVMagazine: What advice would you give to somebody about to play Big Brother?

Hayden Moss: Mix the chocolate milk with the protein for a protein shake. Put the chocolate milk in. They’ll let you do it. I was on slop and you’re allowed to have protein shakes. Well, I poured chocolate milk in with the shake.

RealityTVMagazine: Would you play it again?

Hayden Moss: I would. I would like to. It’s been good to me. It’s opened up some doors. I never thought I’d be involved in the entertainment industry. It’s opened up a lot of doors, so I would play it again. …